This blog is dedicated to treating everyone - clients, prospects, friends, and family - as valuable partners. We should show them our gratitude through all our actions, including our marketing.

January 17, 2016

Really? Part 2

In last week’s blog I wrote about a hotel chain which has
imposed a fee for anyone cancelling their reservation in a portion of their
properties. I received several inquiries wanting me to reveal the name of the
chain, but I never discuss anyone by name whether they are a company or a
person. The story in The Inc.Life, by
Chris Matyszczyk, does reveal the name of the chain.

Several of the inquiries that I received did refer to the
hotel chain by name, and some were equally shocked as I was that a major hotel
group would be so petty in their customer relations. The fact that a large
business does something that is petty does not make the practice right. How many
fees are enough, and how much does any business need to charge to support their
expenses? Maybe it is time they took a long look at their expenses and costs
and understand that enough is enough.

This philosophy of high prices or additional fees may seem
justifiable, but it is not. Don’t brag about low prices when add-on fees push
the final cost out of reach. We cannot proclaim how loyal our businesses are to
customers when the cost of being a customer is raised by petty fees. Petty fees
must stop; it is deceptive advertising and will drive customers away.

Petty practices can also be seen in employee relationships.
When a business is petty in dealing with its employees, they cannot retain
their employees and will have a constant high turnover in staff. We should hire
the best employees that we can find, give them the best training, and equip
them with the tools to do their jobs. We should also give them the
responsibility and authority to do their jobs to the best level possible. Then
get out of their way, clearing any obstacles in their path to success.

If our employees rise in ability and surpass their positions
with us, we should celebrate that success with them and help them move on. (When
I opened my recruiting business, my first client was a former employee who I
helped obtain a better position with another company when she worked with me.) Karma
can be a powerful principle in our business success or failure and can result
from our practices with everyone.

There may be no stronger influence on the success or failure
of any business than that exerted by a former unhappy employee. Someone who was
wronged by their employer may be able to damage the reputation of their former
employer beyond redemption. Social media is a powerful stage and is open to
anyone, at any time. In addition, a former employer may have secrets that the
world should never know. These may include proprietary information, great
business practices, or illegal secrets.

The principles of Gratitude Marketing include our practices when
dealing with the public as well as our customers, clients, prospects, family,
and friends. They also should be applied to our employees, both present and
past. When we treat anyone as less than a human being we are petty and just
wrong. We should always do what is right in our dealings with everyone.

Gratitude Marketingmeans that we provide
a product or service for the best price possible. Add-on fees show our
pettiness and will drive business away. Our employees deserve the same level of
treatment as our customers and should never feel that we are petty in our dealings
with them either. Please leave me your comments here, or email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com,or call me at 360-314-8691.